


Malediction

by slightly_murderous_sorcerer (emerald_witch_esmeralda)



Category: Darksiders (Video Games)
Genre: Banter, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Enemies to Lovers, F/M, Roasting, SO. MUCH. ROASTING, but i literally just got back into this fandom, get your marshmallows ready folks, im mostly here for the horsemen and Azrael, my children, shades of suicide squad, this is my first darksiders fic in years so go easy on me folks, tons of angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-27
Updated: 2020-05-31
Packaged: 2021-03-02 05:13:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,786
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23869579
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/emerald_witch_esmeralda/pseuds/slightly_murderous_sorcerer
Summary: Azrael has been tormented over the role he played in starting the Apocalypse early, so when he is brought before the Council to face his judgement, he is ready for whatever comes along. However, once he hears what the Council truly has in mind, part of him is starting to think that the first option may have been better.
Relationships: Azrael (Darksiders)/OC, Strife (Darksiders) & Original Female Character(s)
Kudos: 4





	1. Blessing or Curse?

**Author's Note:**

> malediction- a magical word or phrase uttered with the intention of bringing about evil or destruction; a curse

“Azrael.” The archangel lifted his head at the sound of his name being called, seeing a familiar red hood heading toward his direction...a cold dread seized its way around his heart, why was he here? Was he the omen of death that he’d swore he’d be? “Horseman.”  
“We have been summoned by the Council, they have not said why. The request was only that we come immediately, my siblings shall be there as well.”  
“A request would imply that we have a choice in the matter, and you know that’s never the case with the Charred Council, Rider.” A deep, soft chuckle bubbled up from the angel’s throat, before a breath caught in his throat mid-way. Memories flooded back, every possible scenario flashed across his mind. Why would the Council summon him of all people, and send War of all people to go and fetch him? _Why else?_ He thought grimly. “So, it is that time, then?” His voice was calm, smooth, but he knew before the words were fully out that the tail-end of a tremor had made its way out of his lips...Azrael had always known this day would come, had been prepared for it. He was to face judgement for his role in the premature Endwar. _I have accepted this, anticipated it even...but, why do I still have this fear?_ He had been training himself over and over, embracing the fate that undoubtedly waited for him and that he justly deserved for all of this...he always said that he would face his atonement with his head held high. But now that it was out of his head and onto the reality of these material planes, Azrael felt all of his carefully-crafted resolve start to crumble away into powder. _I don’t want to die. Creator, I don’t want to die…_  
“What is wrong with you, Archangel?!” War’s growl snapped him out of his thoughts, the feel of his own sweat-slick palms serving to bring him further back into his own body. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost!”  
“It is nothing. When do we leave?”  
“Right now...gather whatever you need to and meet me at the gates.” With that, War turned and walked away with Ruin’s quiet trot accompanying his side leaving the archangel alone to his thoughts...at least, while he still had breath to think.  


  


  


  
The start of the ride passed in silence, and normally silence was a good thing in the comfort of his library...but now it was gnawing away at him like so many carrion birds around a corpse.  
“Horseman, let’s get in on with, shall we? The longer that we delay here the more I fear that my resolve will weaken.”  
“Resolve for what? You’ve been behaving as if we’re marching to your own execution.” “Is that not...why I’ve been summoned?” Azrael gazed at War in confusion, the look he got back showed similar signs of disbelief until understanding slowly started to dawn on him. “I wasn’t sent to escort you to your death sentence. Though I don’t know why the Council wants you, they gave no indication of such a thing.”  
“Well they wouldn’t, would they? I mean...do you still trust them, War? After knowing what they’ve done to the world, and specifically to you?”  
“I still trust _you_ , don’t I? Knowing your deeds.” Amusement quirked the Horseman’s normally stoic face when he saw the angel bristle visibly at being compared to the Charred Council. Azrael knew he had done something unforgivable but still...he wasn’t as bad as them! Was he?  
“Well, Angel of Death. You have one thing the Council does not, something I respect.”  
“And that would be?”  
“Honor. They may be tasked with guarding the Balance, but they do not understand the meaning of honor...they would choke on the word. You are more honorable by far, you do not try to run from your mistakes or use others to cover their misdeeds like they do. Like I said, at any other time you could have left me to my fate. But you didn’t, even though you had every reason to. Your honor is the reason that I have not followed through on my threat to kill you.”  
“I’ll face what punishment I’m assigned, but is it so bad that I don’t want to have my head severed from my person?”  


“Nobody _wants_ to die, Azrael...well, very few people anyway. Mostly because they do not know what happens after, as my brother always said. Fear of Death is merely fear of the unknown.”  


  


  


  
There was that same gnawing silence creeping back in as the looming stone faces, wreathed in flame came into view, Azrael lifted his wing to shield his face from the acrid smoke of the bubbling lava around them, while War tightened his hood. The room was completely empty except for the other three Horsemen, the Council, and some strange hooded figure standing far off from the rest of them. “I’ve brought him.” was all War said before going over to join his siblings as Strife immediately nudged him in the side. “Excellent.” A deep, rumbling voice spoke before all fell quiet. Azrael stepped forward and did not now, merely stood straight trying not to show any of the whirring emotions he had inside of him. “So...it’s come to this at last. Very well, do your worst.” But to the angel’s surprise, all that followed was a collection of unearthly laughs.  
“Very brave, Azrael...but unnecessary. At least, for the moment it is.”  
“What do you mean? Isn’t this my punishment for my role in the Endwar?”  
“We did not summon you here to end your life...although your crimes have gravely upset the Balance. In any other circumstances you would be obliterated, but as it turns out..”  
“We believe that we can come to a less...shall we say, drastic fate than the one that would normally befall you. In fact, we will give you a chance to redeem yourself.”  
“Redeem myself? What I’ve done is beyond redemption.”  
Death spoke up from where he was polishing Harvester. “Don’t be so foolhardy as to look a gift horse in the mouth, Azrael. Turn off your martyr complex for five damn seconds and listen to what they have to say.” There was no reverence in that frosty voice, the eldest Horseman had _not_ forgotten what the council had done to his sister and his favorite brother.  
“We need you for a mission. Succeed, and we shall see what we can do about your...sentence.”  
“Mission.” Azrael said quietly, but his mind was spinning like crazy. A mission...he did _not_ like the way that the Council said that word, what was _really_ going on here?  
“There is an object...I believe such an accomplished scholar as yourself has heard of it at least once, Archangel. The humans refer to it most often as the Seal of Solomon.” Azrael froze visibly, and War gave him a confused look, his bright blue eyes trained on him once again. “Why the face?” The archangel’s skin had gone pale, even his wings seemed to puff out much like a surprised bird’s. “The Seal of Solomon is a powerful and dangerous artifact...it is a ring said to have been given to King Solomon of Israel directly by the Creator himself. Death snorted. “Some silly human ring? That’s it?”  
“You don’t understand, Death. That ring contained magical power the likes of which humans had never been able to command before or since...and, I believe that they should have never received it at all.”  
“What does it do? Sounds pretty special and all if the Council is after it.” Fury was perched atop Ruin, patting the horse’s neck with a small frown. It was clear that she was still mourning the loss of her beloved Rampage.  
“It gave the king the power to command jinn, even demons...something like that could unleash an army of darkness if it ever fell into the wrong hands. What has happened to it?”  
“It has been stolen from the vaults, which were supposed to be guarded.” the middle of the Council’s three heads rumbled. “We suspect that it may have been taken by the denizens of hell, in order to bolster their armies.”  
“Or maybe some human dabbling in the occult, more like.” That was Strife, sounding amused even now in this serious situation that they were in.The first flaming stone head spoke as if nothing had happened. “Due to your extensive knowledge of lore, we could use your brand of expertise on this...little situation. But, you cannot transverse the three realms yourself, that thing would be impossible even for you and we have no time for a wild goose chase, which is why we will be sending someone along with you.”  
“A Watcher?” Azrael’s voice had gone flat again, raising a white eyebrow. “Yes, but that is not whom we meant...you shall need a guide on this journey. Someone that knows the Dark Kingdom as well as you know the White City.”  
“What in the world do you mean by that? If I may be blunt, I do not like the sound of that.”  
“You don’t have to like it...but if you don’t want your wings on a pike, you will follow along.” The hooded figure, draped in a blue cloak had stood silently off to the side this entire time, now stepping forward to stop just a couple of feet away from Azrael. “Looks like we’re going to be mission buddies.” A decidedly feminine voice, she could have been anyone...but Azrael knew as soon as she stepped close enough. The acrid smell of brimstone that clung to her, and something unpleasant twisted in him. It was even worse when she lifted her hands to remove her hood, purple hair tumbling down her back in a braid. If one took a look at her, there were those that would possibly consider her attractive, but Azrael was far too distressed to focus on her facial features. She looked like any other humanoid in that she had a human shape, but that was where the buck stopped...she was all red skin and glowing flame-colored eyes, a pair of long horns curving up and around her head like a twisted, malformed crown. Her smile was a mix of sharp and blunt teeth, it looked menacing, and everyone in the room appeared like they had been escorted to the guillotine instead of being offered a way out of it.


	2. The Start of the Nightmare

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So here it is, the beginning...of the end, possibly.

“A _demon_?!” Azrael had demanded, and the other Horsemen had to struggle not to erupt into laughs as his voice came out in a most birdlike squawk even as they reached for their own weapons. “Why is a demon here?!”  
“She will be on this mission as well, one of the leads on finding the Seal is in Hell so we will need assistance that can be assured.” the Council stated matter-of-factly.  
“Asmodea Brightflame, Archwizard of the Shaded Tower at your service, Your Excellencies.” The demoness bowed before the Council with a great flourish, rustling her purple and gray robes before straightening up with a flick of her tail.  
“Shaded Tower?” Azrael asked.  
“It’s where I live and work...I’m the foremost mage to the Prince of Darkness himself, the Shaded Tower is right next to His Highness’ palace...I would’ve expected you to know that, Mockingbird.” Azrael’s frown deepened. “Mockingbird?”  
“You’re feathered and you parrot the things you’ve found out about in your books, the nickname suits you. Don’t go looking down on me, Archangel...we’re kind of stuck in the same boat, birds of a feather as you might say. I’m kind of a big deal, at least as much of a big deal as you are so I don’t see why your feathers are getting so ruffled...I mean my race isn’t the one that ended the world now is it? You’re just as damned as me, sweetheart.”  
“I am _not_ your sweetheart.” The angel’s voice had turned nearly snarling, hands trembling from where they were curled up inside the folds of his own robes. _Calm yourself, Azrael...she is merely trying to provoke you. Don’t get out of character, you’re better than that._ He turned back to the Council. “Why do we need a DEMON with us?!”  
“Her magical acumen nearly matches your own, if not outrightly so and this is a magical object. The more magically inclined heads we have on this case, the better.” Asmodea flashed Azrael another grin, although she certainly didn’t get one in return… “Hey, Azrael, right? My friends call me Asmo...or Dea, whichever one doesn’t really matter. So Mack, what’re _you_ in for?”  
“That is not your business.”  
“Hey bro, I’m just asking you a simple question. Don’t look at me like _I’m_ the one who Thanosed the humans.” Azrael would deny it until the end of his days, but that simple reminder cut like a blade and he not-so-subtly flinched.  
“Thanosed? What nonsense are you speaking, darkling?  
“One, I have a name...we’re at the first-name stage of things now, so use it. Go ahead, I won’t mind. Two, Thanos is a comic book character that the humans used to...you know what? Never mind. I wouldn’t expect you to know much about that...I would pop in on Earth from time to time while there were still people on it, unfortunately because of _somebody_ I can no longer go!.”  
“How in the world am I stopping you?!” Azrael shook his head with a low-pitched noise that sounded almost like a grunt and turned back to the Council. “So.” he spoke as if the demoness had never spoken. “We are to infiltrate Hell and retrieve the Seal if it lies there. And if it does, you’ll grant us our freedom?”  
“Correct. So, now that everything is settled you shall all set out at once.” A blue-black tide surfaced out of the lava, creeping forward like some wild slime before leaping forward and seeming to wrap itself around both Asmodea and Azrael, both of them letting out cries of pain and Asmodea actually falling to her knees. “The Watcher shall keep the two of you compliant, as well as put limits upon your powers. We can’t afford to have you two murder each other and jeapordize the mission.”  
“What sort of brute do you take me for?” Azrael gasped out, equal parts tired from the sudden bolt of the magical Watcher’s bond and offended at the insinuation that he would kill mindlessly, even if it was a denizen of the Dark Kingdom. His “mission buddy” seemed to be similarly miffed because the eldritch glow of her eyes blinked once, twice, three times before…  


  
“You know what? Fuck you guys. I change my mind, just put me back in the clink because I am not dealing with this…” Asmodea started but her sentence ended in another grunt of pain as their assigned Watcher sent a bolt through her. Azrael watched in what appeared to be mild horror. “Bastards.” she gasped, trying to get air back into her lungs as she made her way back to her feet. The misty, shadowy form circled the two with the only sound being the subtle clink of chain before clawed, spider-like hands settled themselves on Azrael’s shoulders. “I can tell that we’re going to have a lot of fun together, you and I.” the Watcher giggled, blinking its four eyes.  
“For once, we are of one accord. This is insane.”  
“We’ve known each other all of fifteen minutes and now you wanna bind us together? At least take me to dinner first, handsome.” She winked in Azrael’s direction, and he didn’t speak but took a deep and slow breath through his nose. “Is this time really appropriate for jokes?”  
“No, but if I don’t laugh, I cry. .I’m sure you have your way of coping, humor is mine. I’m a little crazy, I forgot to mention. No big deal though, simply the consequence of being locked up for the last millennium and I haven’t had _anybody_ to talk to in all that time...it was crazy lonely I mean...”  
Azrael could do nothing but stare in shock...an entire _millennium_?! What in Creator’s name was this wizard in here for?! What in the world could she have **done?!** Even when War was accused of starting the apocalypse early and effectively ending all life as the humans knew it, they had only imprisoned _him_ a _century_! He himself had been imprisoned for a century and had nearly snapped from the weight of it, but ten times that length?! If he did not accept the Council’s offer, is this what _he_ would become? A half-mad mage raving to himself, denied sunlight and with his thoughts as his only companion?! The punishment was worse than death, and at the very thought of it he could not suppress a shudder.  


  


  
“Enough dawdling!” The Council all but roared at the twosome. “You will start your mission at once, unless you would like to go back to your little cage, Asmodea? And unless you would like to join her, traitorous Archangel of Death?”  
“Ooh, we’d have so much fun! We could be cellies, we could paint each other’s nails and do each other’s hair and play board games, maybe watch some TV if I can get one brought in... stay up all night and talk about boys! Or girls, don’t know which one you’re into yet.” The demon mage’s voice dropped to a whisper, speaking in Demonic. “I have a guy that smuggles me weed every other Friday, we could get high together, you’d love it! I mean we’re all but stuck together anyway…” Azrael’s last thought was wondering in utter disbelief how this demoness thought that simply switching tongues was enough to keep _the Council_ of all entities from hearing what they wished to hear before he retreated to the relative safety of his own head. _Heaven help me, this is going to be a DISASTER! But, what choice do I have?! I know my sins, but I am like any other creature in Creation...I’d like to **live** if possible. I mean I’ve already been a fool, adding coward to that list won’t sting as much as it would have before all of this. But is it really so cowardly? Not even warriors go down without a fight, I don’t think I should have to either. Well Creator, I place myself in your hands._ “I accept.”  
“So do I, I mean it’s not like you left me with anything to lose, really.”  


  
“Good. Very good...well, off with you. War, you and Death shall take the White City.”  
“I don’t think the angels are going to feel particularly inclined to open the gates to two Nephilim, especially us and invite us in for a cup of tea.” Death spoke.  
“Especially after the last times we’ve been there. But if that is what it takes, then so be it.” War ended he and his brother’s shared thoughts, afterwards he let out a grunt and said nothing further.  
“Strife, you and Fury shall begin your search on Earth.” The White Rider may have been fully masked, but by his posturing and tone he sounded as giddy as a human child in a sweets shop. “Sweet, we got the cool place! High five, sis!” He raised his hand toward Fury but when she just glared at him he slowly let it fall back at his side. “Sheesh, tough crowd. You’re literally no fun.”  
“And Azrael? You and Asmodea shall start in Hell. We will be updated with any new leads that you may find, as well as any violation of our terms or your conduct.” Azrael’s jaw dropped open like a chest lid with a broken hinge, Hell?! Hell, of all places?! Was this supposed to be a way of mitigating his punishment, or the Council’s sick way of getting him to mentally break before they execute him?! His partner however was predictably excited. “Yay! It’s been so long since I’ve been home, so much I’ve probably missed! We can check my research books for clues, I wonder if the boss replaced me? I hope he didn't...because that is MY tower, dammit! Doesn’t matter, whoever he replaced me with couldn’t be better than me anyway. I _will_ be getting my stuff back either way, Lucifer be damned.”  
“You hold no loyalty to your former master?” Her little rant had brought Azrael a bit out of his stupor, but he still sounded a bit hollow and numb. “Well not really, I mean would you? The sonuvabitch left me in here to rot for a thousand _fucking_ years, so fuck him.”  
“Weren’t you proudly proclaiming your position at his side just a while ago?”  
“Ooh, I love a man who can alliterate...but anyway, that’s only for prestige now. Loyalty is a double-edged sword, and ol’ Lucy’s side of the blade seems to have dulled and rusted…” But before she could finish her sentence, she and Azrael were enveloped in a golden light and suddenly they were on the stage no more, the Four Horsemen following the same way half a second later.  



	3. Chapter 3

“We will never find anything here, they’ve sent us on a wild goose chase despite the way that the Council claims to want to avoid it so badly. I hate to say it, but the more time passes the more I see that you were correct about them, brother.” War deadpanned, stopping Ruin as they landed in the middle of an empty street that was crumbling from disrepair and the occasional apocalyptic battle.  
“Don’t worry, baby bro.” Strife said, patting War on the back from his own seat atop Despair. “The search won’t be as hard as you think, I’ve got contacts down here...from my time as Jones. Surely one of ‘em will know something.”  
“You’ve got contacts on Earth? Why am I not surprised?"  
“This search will take forever...we’re looking for a needle in a haystack. Any humans that may have known about the Seal have either fled with Ulthane or died in the Endwar...it would be far more fruitful to just go wherever they are.”  
“And your plan on how to go about that is...what exactly? We don’t even know where Ulthane has taken the lot of them!”  
“I assumed that you’d at least have an inkling, I mean you’ve spent the most time among the humans out of all of us and you were there when they were being herded away to another realm.” War eyed his brother wearing that same stone-face that had become his trademark. “What if your contacts left with the rest of the humans?”  
“Who said all of my contacts were human? I mean they do have angels, fallen angels and demons on Earth as well...or what’s left of Earth. You can even find a few Makers, as I’m sure you know pre-tty well. Remember Ulthane, and that time he tried to kick your ass because you tried to steal his hammer?”  
“Shut up.”  
“Just ask the dude for it, I mean it’s not that hard.”  
“He wasn’t there.”  
“Tell you what, you do the search your way and I do it my way. I’ll hit up my friends on the other side and you do...whatever the hell it is that you were going to do. For now, we are groping in the dark, you were right about that. Any lead is a viable lead right now. If we’re going to waste time, at least let’s waste time in a direction that has a chance of leadin’ somewhere. Whaddya think, baby brother?”  
“I think that we’ll be chasing air around in circles before we actually find anything of use...but it’s not like I have any other ideas at the moment, the more ground we cover the more of a chance that we have to find something or use so where do you want to meet up?”  
“Right here, on this corner. Is that ok with you, or are you just gonna go full Chaos War the second I leave you alone?” War said nothing, but the narrowing of his eyes and the annoyed sound he let out of his pursed lips told Strife that he was agitated. “Calm down, Red...I’m just fuckin’ with ya.” The use of War’s childhood nickname didn’t seem to help matters, and Strife was suddenly concerned that if his scowl deepened any further that it would be permanently carved into his face...bold of you to assume that it wasn’t carved in there already, to be honest. “Alright, well...I’ll see you later, then.”  


  


  


  
“Come on...hurry up and answer, damn you!” The White Rider huffed as he continued to pound on the door of the nondescript apartment he was currently at. War had gone to pursue leads his way, as he wasn’t too interested in Strife’s “earthly contacts.”  
“Alright, alright! I’m coming, bitch! Sheesh!” The lock turned and it was clear that the resident of this place was prepared to let it fly before they saw who it was. “Strife?” Was that a cloud? Of course it wasn't, but it very well could've been. A head of messy white curls peered through the cracked door, blank white eyes that appeared blind by their cloudiness but could apparently see very well judging by the way they widened in shock before relaxing again, their owner opening the door fully...like the demoness, this figure appeared human but was clearly not entirely. However, her differences were far less dramatic than Asmodea’s. “Has the Council finally come for me?”  
“Hey, Gaddy. Nah, this ain’t official business...I’m just popping up.”  
“Aren’t one to three a.m. your normal “popping up” hours? I’m kinda tired right now if I can be completely honest. And you caught me at a bad time, I just got out of the shower...unless that’s what you were expecting.”  
“Funny, but I’m not here on a booty call.”  
“Then why are you here? The house is a little messy right now but if you wanna...y’know, hang out or somethin’ that’s cool too. I just bought some more Purple Haze if you wanna smoke.”  
“Another time, Gadreel. Okay, I admit I lied a little bit in the first half.”  
“Lied about...what exactly?”  
“When I told you that this wasn’t official business, it technically isn’t in the fact that the Council doesn’t know I’m here. But they are involved and this is urgent.” His behavior took the woman by surprise, who still stood in the doorway with one olive hand holding her bathrobe closed.  
“You never really act like this, what’s going on?” she demanded. Strife dropped his voice to a whisper. “Like I said, it involves the Council and...your brother. He got himself into a mighty fine mess ever since you left Heaven.”  


  
“Come in.” Her voice grew immediately serious as she ushered the Horseman into the house. Once the door closed behind them, Gadreel turned to her companion for the day. “You say this is about my brother? Did Goober get himself in trouble again? Do I have to beat somebody’s ass?” “You know Azrael hates it when you call him that.”  
_"He ain’t hardly here_ to hear me call him that, I mean he never visits...I get more visits from you than my own little brother, what kind of shit is that?!”  
“You know if he came here, he could never go back to Heaven.”  
“I know...I just miss him. He used to write, but after the Endwar I stopped getting letters. Did he buy into the propaganda? Does he believe now that I’ve abandoned him? Besides, I know War hates it when you call him Red and yet you still do it.”  
“That red cloak he always wears? It was a present from Death, and he never took it off ever since he got it.”  
“That is fuckin’ adorable, I’ve always been a sucker for sibling love.” Gadreel said, putting the cigarette between her lips. “Hey, get me a light?”  
“Sure, but didn’t you come here about the Seal and my brother?” She tossed the pack and the lighter to him, Strife removing his mask with a sigh.  


  


  
“Let’s just say that little Az got himself into an “earth-shattering” mess, literally.”  
“What do you mean by that?!”  
Look, what do you know about the Seal of Solomon?”  
“A little bit...but not much. What about it?”  
“Azrael needs to recover it so he can get his sentence reduced and the Council roped the rest of us into it.”  
“Twisted bastards.”  
“Exactly.”  
“You never did tell me what he was in for?”  
“He...kinda sorta, just a little bit, maybe...totally completely fucking got his dumb ass roped into a plot to start the Apocalypse early.”  
“Az? Do something like that?! Nah Strife, quit playin’ with me.” The loud guffaw that came out of her mouth was followed by another, and another, until she was nearly cackling. Her eyes screwed shut, tears started to form at the corners. The room fell silent, eerily silent as Gadreel’s face slowly morphed from a neutrally pleasant expression to some unholy mixture of shock and..rage as it became increasingly clear that Strife was _not_ laughing along with her. Her jaw was slightly slack, her eyes stared straight at the Horseman, every now and then her eyelid would twitch a bit.” “Gads? You okay? Hellloooooo?” Strife waved his hand in front of her face, only to pull it back when she spoke.  
“I’m sorry...Goober did WHAT?!”  
“You might wanna sit down because there’s a lot to unpack here...you got any alcohol?”  
“In the fridge.” she said numbly “Good, you’re probably gonna need some of that too. If you have any Bacardi slide some my way.”  
“I can’t believe it, my Goober wouldn’t harm a fly!”  
“Well believe it sister, because we got proof, and the Council tried to frame _my _brother for it. Sorry to drop this news in your lap, but it's the truth.”  
“Are you sure you’re not just lying on Azrael to protect War and cover it up? How are you so sure he’s innocent? He did go on a murderous rampage and try to kill Fury after all.”  
“Watch it bitch, that’s my baby brother you’re talking about! And he wasn’t in his right mind, okay?! Anyway, we need to talk. Right now. What do you know about the Seal of Solomon?”  
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“I’ve missed you, home!” Asmodea’s cheerful voice echoed over the blackened rocks and perpetually burning sky of Hell…”Hello, scary and foreboding kingdom!” Her arms spread wide, the demoness began her trek across the plains, Azrael following cautiously behind and spreading his wing over his face, not bothering to hide the scrunch of his nose at the smells of blood, scorched earth and...something else he really couldn’t pin down. How could any creature in their right mind be excited to be here?! But he remembered, the girl wasn’t entirely in her right mind and hadn’t been for some time. Well he supposed if this place of dread and fire was all you knew, even the darkness could be a source of comfort.  
“It’s hot...how does anything survive in this place?” Azrael demanded, fanning himself with a small burst of wind magic. “I’m surprised, you’re so chilly and bundled up I didn’t think you’d notice. Hey, when we get to Earth you want some Ben & Jerry’s?”  
“What in the world is that?!”  
“What do you mean “what is Ben & Jerry’s”?! The BEST ice cream on the face of the earth! Well...what used to be earth, anyway.” The reminder made Azrael slump. “Come on, Mockingbird...don’t get so moody on me now. I was only kidding.”  
“Well not all of us share the same sense of humor that you do, if nobody has told you that before.” “Yeesh...okay.” Asmodea backed up, raising her hands in a placating gesture. “Don’t get your feathered panties in a wad, my dude. So first thing’s first, we head to my tower and grab my books...if there’s anything on the Seal, it’s sure to be there.”  
“You said yourself that your tower may be occupied by whoever Lucifer decided to plant in there in order to replace you.”  
“That’s always a possibility, sure. But at the same time, my shit is in there and I’m going to get it back.”  
“Even if Lucifer will be angered by it?”  
“Even if I have to get in there and fight a demon myself, after ten centuries in a cage your self-preservation goes out of the window. You kinda stop caring about a lot of shit, at least I do anyway...while I was locked up, thoughts of home were the only things that really kept me sane, y’know? And I’ll be damned if I let our oh-so gracious Prince get in the way of any of that, I have no respect for the bastard after he left me high and dry...mmph!” The demoness was stopped in her rambling when Azrael’s hand suddenly clapped over her mouth, letting out a disgruntled squeal of protest. “He probably has hundreds of ears and thousands of eyes in this one part alone, being from the Dark Kingdom I would’ve assumed that you knew that!” the angel hissed. “The mission is what we need to focus on now, we don’t have time to deal with him on our tail on top of all of this.” “Sheesh, Mockingbird...last time I checked, I was the only one with a tail tho.” Asmodea wrenched his hand away from her face. “But you’re right…I guess.” Trailing behind her, Azrael raised his eyes toward Heaven and wondered how in Creator’s name did he end up getting himself into all of this. “First thing’s first, we get the key back. Ol’ Lucy has it if I remember correctly. Come on, his layer shouldn't be too far."  
"Are we just going to saunter into Lucifer's palace?"  
"'Course not, we're going to sneak in." After they had made it some ways, Asmodea pointed to a vague black shape in the distance. "They have demons there, demons that know how to do things...like get us where we need to go." Seemingly remembering something, she quickly unfastened her cloak and threw it to Azrael. "Either cover up or use some magic, you can't just float around here being all angel-y!"  
"Really?"  
"Just do it!"  
_ _


End file.
